The FCC's tit for tat? -- a CE exclusive

Now you guys know this was coming right ?

http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/extra/archives/001368.html

Does the Federal Communications Commission have it in for one of John Kerry's largest campaign contributors?

We ask this after reading all the stories about the FCC investigation into conservative commentator Armstrong Williams and his undisclosed $240,000 payday from Bushco for hyping No Child Left Behind. The scandal has sent shock waves through the White House and the right-wing media. and rightfully so. The uproar has even caused the mullahs at the FCC like Chairman Michael Powell to take notice.

But several stories, like this one from MSNBC.com, ended on this odd note:

Powell on Friday also ordered the FCC to investigate a radio station programmer in Buffalo, N.Y., who was fired by Entercom Communications Corp. for breaking the station’s rules against taking gifts from business contacts. Critics contend that incident and the Williams case are similar because they may be violations of so-called “payola” statutes.

Nobody supports payola, especially if it's to blame for the horrendous state of commercial music radio these days. But here's what the Entercom station programmer -- Dave Universal (can that be his real name?) -- is accused of, according to the New York Times:

Last month, Universal took a personal trip to Miami financed by one major label, and a variety of music executives had periodically arranged for him to see New York Yankee games and other sports events. Universal has responded strongly to the Times article, insisting that no airplay selections were influenced by the outings.

But in the eyes of Michael Powell, a few Yankees games and airfare to sunny Fla. are apparently the moral equivalent of a $240,000 payment by the federal government -- a payment that isn't really so much payola as a threat to the U.S. Constitution in the form of unlawful propaganda.

in full voice. It's doesn't matter if it is equivalent. It only matters to the RW that the news is out there. They rely on the idiotic need for the media to 'balance' every bad story about Rethugs with a 'bad' story about someone else. They are hoping that the bad news gets buried in a sea of meaningless blatter.